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Warriors star Draymond Green directs NSFW rant at female referee

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green could face a stiff fine from the NBA after a run-in with female referee Lauren Holtkamp during the Oklahoma City Thunder’s statement win at Oracle Arena.

After Thunder forward Jerami Grant collided with Green on a drive early in the second quarter of Tuesday’s game — resulting in a turnover and a Warriors layup on the other end — the reigning Defensive Player of the Year came up bleeding from his mouth and gave Holtkamp an earful.

“Draymond,” Holtkamp told Green, “please get out of my face.”

No technical foul was issued.

That actually came when Green again approached Holtkamp with a bloodied mouth — the result of a block attempt on Russell Westbrook at the end of the first half in which both players appeared to receive some contact and neither was whistled for a foul. Tensions flared, Green got hit with his first tech, and he could be seen heading back to the locker room hollering at Holtkamp the whole way.

Thunder star Russell Westbrook catches Warriors forward with an elbow on his way to the basket. (AP)
Thunder star Russell Westbrook catches Warriors forward with an elbow on his way to the basket. (AP)

NSFW video of Green walking off the floor appeared to show him calling her a “f***ing b****.”

That didn’t even earn Green an ejection, although it will surely get him a call from the league office.

Instead, Green got his ejection in the fourth quarter of the blowout loss after he tossed the ball in referee Marat Kogut’s direction upon being called for an offensive foul for clearly shoving Alex Abrines from behind with 8:13 remaining. Green seemed to be surprised when he got called for a second tech.

Asked about the events afterward, Green responded to ESPN, “Nah, I’m going to save my money.”

Doubtful.

Houston Rockets star Chris Paul, then on the L.A. Clippers, was fined $25,000 for public comments critical of Holtkamp after saying in 2015, “This might not be for her.” What Green said seems far worse.

The Warriors forward was fined last month for saying the NBA needs “a whole new crop” of officials. Green received another $25,000 fine earlier this season for an altercation with Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal. Green’s temperamental history is well-documented, most notably with his Game 5 suspension in the 2016 NBA Finals for striking Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James in the groin.

Green’s two technicals agains the Thunder brought his season total to 13 — three shy of an automatic one-game suspension — but his actions on Tuesday might have earned him one earlier than that.

Members of the NBA’s player and referee unions plan to meet during the All-Star break in an attempt to bridge a growing divide between the two sides over player complaints and quick whistles. The league announced two weeks ago a plan to improve player-ref relations that included scheduled meetings with all 30 teams to discuss on-court conduct and “Respect for the Game” rules.

Apparently, the Warriors — whistled for five technicals in Tuesday’s loss — didn’t get the memo.

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Ben Rohrbach is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!